Team AO

Ours is a proudly creative field, full of history, vision, and grandeur. We are drawn to architecture by a desire to build something bold and beautiful, but also utilitarian. It is that utility that comes with codes and guidelines, with calculations and requirements. We build structures from the ground up and most of the time; we simply can’t diverge from the standard way of doing things. In a field of creatives, the irony is that our reality includes a myriad of factors working against unconventional thinking.

And still, we set out to reject the traditional architectural firm model. We saw pyramidal, hierarchical structures at other firms and we saw a lot of great ideas wasted. So we decided to make something better: a culture where the best ideas can thrive — an environment built on collaboration, openness, and innovation.

In a seemingly unorthodox move, we started to see the big picture.

Collaboration is king. We don’t consider a design polished until it’s been vetted by a few sets of fresh eyes. It’s this approach that makes our ideas greater than any one individual.

We refuse to compromise our projects by making the process secondary. We flourish working with clients who participate, too. Our clients need us — you can’t build without our services — but that doesn’t mean we have to dictate the end product. We prefer to lead by showing the way, while keeping an open mind.

We are hands-on by design, not just at the beginning of a project but at every step of the way. There are a thousand things that can go wrong before a project is complete. So, we approach problem-solving as not just an exercise in analysis and planning, but also in adaptability and nimbleness.

Some see conventional wisdom as a road map – with the comforting predictability of top-down decision-making, repetition of the same kinds of projects, and adherence to the same familiar style. But not here, not now.

Omaha is home to some of the country’s most prominent architectural firms and we are honored to be in their company. But, we are different. And it is our steadfast belief that our commitment to the unconventional, to being hands-on while seeing the big picture, and to solving complex problems by asking the right questions and actively listening, is what will yield the best work and continue to set us apart.